A gang known as 'J3W' has been tagging signs, walls and even a police station in an attempt to mark its territory.

They have left their tag on the wall of Bucknall police station, on Ruxley Road, as well as on bins and street signs on both Werrington Road and Marychurch Road.

The tags started appearing in recent weeks and are a way for the gang to claim their territory, as part of a 'turf war' with neighbouring gangs from different Stoke-on-Trent post codes.

Residents say the youths speed up and down Ruxley Road on motorbikes and fear the graffiti may start to appear on cars and even their homes.

Bucknall Police Station on Ruxley Road has been tagged by the gang 'J3W'

And some families are now considering moving because of the gang trouble.

It comes as a rival gang known as 'T2' has been tagging bus stops and signs in the Bucknall New Road area of Hanley, and a 15-year-old member of the Meir-based 'T3' gang has been jailed for stabbing a teenager.

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Stephanie Sedgwick, of Ruxley Road, says this type of 'turf war' between gangs is not new.

The 29-year-old said: "It's been going on for years. I'm 29 and it used to happen when I was in my teens, but this is the first tagging that I've seen for a while.

A sign on Ruxley Road, Bucknall, has been tagged with 'J3W'

"It's a way of claiming the area as their territory and when we were young there used to be borders for each area. If you were caught in the wrong area from a different gang they would beat you up.

"I've seen a group of about five youths hanging around here and by tagging the police station they are trying to bring back the gang territories, it's the next generation copying off their older brothers.

"There's an old lady who lives next door to me and I imagine she has concerns about it."

Neighbour Sarah Hawley, aged 41, said: "I've seen the tag on the police station and the graffiti on Marychurch Road. I've lived here for 19 years and we get the usual kids going up and down the road on motorbikes.

Gang name 'J3W' has been tagged on a grit box outside of a Kingdom Hall on Ruxley Road

"There's lots of people who are on cannabis and monkey dust. It's getting to the point where it's almost time to move from here because it's not nice.

"There's a tag opposite the church and on the police station which is disrespectful. They just don't care anymore."